BERLIN — The 76th Berlin Film Festival drew to a close Saturday night, after 10 days of what its director called “stormy seas” unleashed by a controversy over the war in Gaza, which often overshadowed discussion of the 22 films in competition.
The row erupted at the beginning of the festival when jury president Wim Wenders answered a question about the German government’s support for Israel by saying: “We cannot really enter the field of politics.”
At the same press conference, he had said that films had the power to “change the world” but in a different way from politics. But his comments in response to the question on Israel prompted a storm of outrage.
Award-winning Indian novelist Arundhati Roy, who had been due to present a restored version of a 1989 film she wrote, pulled out of the event, branding Wenders’ words “unconscionable” and “jaw-dropping.”
On Tuesday, an open letter signed by dozens of film industry figures, including actors Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton and director Adam McKay, condemned the Berlin festival’s “silence” on the “genocide of Palestinians,” and accused it of being involved in “censoring” artists who oppose Israel’s actions.
Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the terms
Israel bitterly denies allegations of genocide. It has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas, including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.
Jury President, German director Wim Wenders (L) and his wife Donata Wenders arrive on the red carpet for the Award Ceremony of the 76th Berlinale, Europe’s first major film festival of the year, in Berlin on February 21, 2026. The 76th Berlin Film Festival draws to a close after 10 days, with 22 films in competition. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP)
Director Tricia Tuttle, in her second year at the helm of the Berlinale, has firmly rejected the accusations, describing some of the claims in the letter as “misinformation” and “inaccurate.”
Speaking on Saturday at the awards ceremony for prizes from the festival’s Independent Juries, Tuttle described the past 10 days as “stormy seas.”
Mexican director Fernando Eimbcke, whose film “Moscas” (Flies) is in official competition, used the occasion to protest civilian deaths in Gaza as well as US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“More than 17,000 kids have been killed in Gaza in the last two years,” he said, citing Hamas health ministry data, which is unable to be verified and does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
“I should raise my voice and I ask all the governments and organizations to raise their voices too,” he said.
Filmmakers hold a Palestinian flag as they arrive at the red carpet for the Award Ceremony of the 76th Berlinale, Europe’s first major film festival of the year, in Berlin on February 21, 2026. (RALF HIRSCHBERGER / AFP)
He also referenced the arrest of a five-year-old Ecuadorian boy by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which sparked widespread outrage.
“ICE should stop persecuting and terrifying kids like Liam Conejo Ramos — ICE out!” Eimbcke said.
Later on Saturday, prizes will be awarded by the main International Jury, including the coveted Golden Bear for best film.
Among the standout entries in the official competition was “We Are All Strangers” by Anthony Chen.
Set in Chen’s native Singapore, the film is a moving family drama which playfully satirizes the yawning social disparities to be found in the city-state’s glittering skyscrapers.
German actress Sandra Hueller, who gained international acclaim for her roles in “The Zone of Interest” and “Anatomy of a Fall”, received audience plaudits for her turn as the title character in “Rose” by Austrian director Markus Schleinzer.
The black-and-white drama tells the story of a woman passing herself off as a man in rural 17th-century Germany to escape the constraints of patriarchy.
Fans wait in the rain near the red carpet for the Award Ceremony of the 76th Berlinale, Europe’s first major film festival of the year, in Berlin on February 21, 2026. (John MACDOUGALL / AFP)
Repression in Iran
Juliette Binoche, playing a woman caring for her mother with dementia, also moved cinema-goers in “Queen at Sea” by American director Lance Hammer, who had not made a feature film since 2008.
The film sensitively portrays the devastation Alzheimer’s disease inflicts on a patient’s loved ones.
The first major event of the film calendar also provided a platform for Iranian filmmakers to address the deadly crackdown on anti-government protests in their home country.
Director Mahnaz Mohammadi, who has spent time in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, presented “Roya,” a searing portrayal of conditions in the jail and the traces they leave on prisoners’ psyches.
Dissident director Jafar Panahi, who won the Cannes Palme d’Or for “It Was Just An Accident,” also spoke at the Berlinale to denounce the Iranian government’s repression of protestors, which international organizations say has left thousands, or tens of thousands, dead.
“An unbelievable crime has happened. Mass murder has happened. People are not even allowed to mourn their loved ones,” Panahi told a talk organized as part of the festival.
“People do not want violence. They avoid violence. It is the regime that forces violence upon them,” Panahi said.
In December, he was sentenced to one year in prison and a travel ban in Iran, but has expressed his intention to return nevertheless.
You appreciate our journalism
You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, in a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel